This cherry tomato tart starts with an all-butter crust spread with a thin swipe of chili crisp, then filled with ricotta folded with deeply roasted scallions and fresh chives. A generous layer blistered cherry tomatoes tops the ricotta, and a final scattering of toasted almonds brings added crunch. Bake this tart, share with friends!
This cherry tomato tart is the sort of thing I make when the refrigerator is full of summer odds and ends - a container of ricotta, an egg, some scallions and chives, and a bit of chili crisp. I briefly considered doing a thick swipe of mustard instead of the chili crisp, but a bit of heat felt right with the sweet tomatoes. I keep a few all-butter pie crusts in the freezer, so I thawed one overnight before pulling everything together.
This isn’t a difficult tart to make, but it’s not a “throw it together in 15 minutes” situation either. There’s the pie dough to thaw, roll out, and par-bake. You pre-roast the scallions and tomatoes, which you can do up to a couple days ahead. The filling comes together in a flash after that. It’s the type of recipe to enjoy on a slow summer afternoon if you’re excited about making a beautiful tart and happy to spend some time in the kitchen.
The Ingredients
Let's talk through a few details related to the ingredients.
Scallions: First up - you want to deeply roast these. Go hard. In the recipe down below, I have you do it in the oven, but you could certainly do a version on the grill if that's more convenient. See the color at the edges of these scallions? You might go even darker. You let them cool and crisp up, and then cut them into little flecks (pictured below). Half of these will get folded into your ricotta tart filling, and the other half will be sprinkled across the tart as a final touch. Cherry Tomatoes: You're going to roast these as well, at the same time and temperature as the scallions. This will concentrate the flavor of the tomatoes, and allow them to release some of their water. The recipe tells you to halve the tomatoes, but if you get small ones its fun to leave them whole. Whole almonds: Might as well toast them at the same time as the scallions and tomatoes. You can see I cut each almonds into little chunks to maximize toasty crunch. Alternately, use another nut if that is what you keep on hand. Pine nuts would be great, hazelnuts are a good option, and I wouldn't say no to pistachios either!
The trickiest part about making a tart like this one is sticking the landing on the crust. Timing is everything. I think a lot of people tend underbake the crust at both stages - the par-bake, and the fully assembled bake. So(!), look for light golden toasty color when you first par-bake the shell, before the filling stage. Let it cool completely. Then, once it is filled and placed in the oven you want the filling to set in the time it takes the crust to get deeply golden. If the crust looks beautifully browned, there's a good chance you've nailed it. And one more idea to consider if chili crisp isn't your thing. Do a nice, thin layer of good pesto across your crust before filling with the ricotta - an A+ alternative!
More Tomato Recipes
If your kitchen looks anything like mine this time of year, some other ways to use tomatoes might be helpful. Some favorite recipes:
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Use a mix of colored cherry tomatoes for extra prettiness and drama. Almonds with skin on are my choice here, but use what you have. Here’s how you cam make homemade chili crisp, or use a favorite store-bought version for a bit of spicy kick. And this is the all-butter pie dough I like to use for many of my pies and tarts.
Ingredients
1bunch of scallions, trimmed and halved lengthwise
3tablespoonsolive oil
a bit of salt
1pintbasket of cherry tomatoes, halved
1/3cupwhole almonds, toasted
1bunch of chives
2cupswhole milk ricotta
1egg, beaten
1/3cupgrated Parmesan
scant 1/2 teaspoon fine grain sea salt
1pie crust enough for one bottom crust
2-3tablespoonschili crisp
Instructions
Heat oven to 400°F/ 205°C. Racks in the top and bottom third.
On a baking sheet drizzle the scallions with 1 tablespoon of olive oil, and arrange in a single layer. At the same time, on a separate baking sheet, toss the tomatoes with another 2 tablespoons of olive oil, sprinkle with a bit of salt. Bake for about 25 minutes, tossing both once or twice along the way. You want the scallions deeply browned at the edges for good flavor. The tomatoes should roast until collapsed and lightly golden at the edges. For this recipe, I don’t bake as long as I typically do for my roasted cherry tomatoes, because they’re going to spend more time baking on top of the tart. Remove from oven and allow to cool completely. If you need to toast the almonds, do it at the same time. Once the scallions are cool, chop or snip (with culinary scissors) into small flecks. Set everything aside.
Dial the oven temperature back to 350°F / 180°F. You’ll want to use a 9-inch tart pan or equivalent pie dish.
Roll out the dough:
If your dough has been chilling overnight allow it to sit at room temperature for a bit before rolling out - 10 - 15 minutes, or so. Lightly flour your work surface, hands, and rolling pin, and roll the pie dough out to 13 inches or so. Large enough to relax into your pie dish with a bit of extra dough beyond the edge. You’re going to want to turn the pie dough clockwise after every few passes with the rolling pin to prevent sticking. Flour more as needed.
Transfer the dough into the pan by gently wrapping it around a rolling pin and unrolling it across your pan. Working quickly, coax the dough into place, fold any extra dough onto itself, and then press confidently into the pan to anchor it. Work quickly so your dough doesn’t warm. Chill in the freezer for 15-20 minutes.
Pre-bake the crust:
Line the crust with parchment paper and fill with baking weights. Dried beans, rice can be used for this purpose and saved for future use.
Place the tart pan on a large baking sheet, this will catch any butter that might melt out of your crust). Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until the crust is golden at the edges. Remove from the oven, carefully remove weights, prick the base of the crust all over with a fork to prevent puffing, and bake for another 10 minutes or so, until the bottom is golden. Remove from oven, and allow to cool completely on a rack.
Prepare the filling:
While the crust is par-baking make the filling. Combine the ricotta with the egg, grated Parmesan cheese, and salt. Stir in half of the roasted scallions and half of the chopped chives. Set aside.
Assemble the Tart:
Once the tart shell has completely cooled, you can assemble the tart by spreading a thin layer of chili crisp across the bottom. Top that by spreading the ricotta mixture across in an even layer. The roasted tomatoes are next, arrange them on top of the ricotta, pressing them in a bit so they stay anchored in the ricotta. Bake for about 50 minutes, or until the tart shell is nicely browned and toasted, the ricotta should be set and taking on a hint of color. Remove from oven and allow to cool a bit. You can serve warm or at room temperature topped with the remaining scallions and chives, and the toasted almonds.
Most pages about pie crusts are going to point you to their “best ever” pie crust, but I’m taking a slightly different approach. I’m going to share a few of the inspirations that have impacted my pie baking over the years along with the pie dough recipe I currently use and love. Pie baking is a journey, and there are a few places I’d recommend jumping on or off along the way.
The deep dish quiche of your dreams. It’s made with a flaky all-butter crust. The filling is silky smooth and creamy, while still being perfectly sliceable. Switch up the add-ins based on the seasons - roasted cherry tomatoes in summer, winter squash later in the year.
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